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You can find the diving ducks, such as the Grebe, in the Waters Edge section. Florida's Birds: Diving, fish eating birds Double-Crested Cormorant 30" to 35". A dark bird with a slender body, the hooked bill is usually tilted upward when swimming. It has an orange throat pouch. It's sound is a deep guttural grunt. It lives near lakes, rivers, swamps and coasts. It breeds in colonies and makes a nest of sticks in a tree or cliff. These birds migrate in large v-shaped flocks like geese but are silent when flying. This bird was photographed at a local preserve. He was perched on the boardwalk railing about two feet from us. And I mean two feet. If you're like me this is the distance between you and your computer screen. "Pursuit-diving is the technique used to capture prey items. The bird dives from the surface and propels itself through the water using its feet. Prey are captured in the bill, and upon return to the surface, prey items are manipulated with the bill until the prey can be swallowed head first. Neotropical cormorants plunge-dive from the air, alone or in groups. Others may forage singly or in groups. Some species are cooperative foragers: groups swim together on the surface, moving in a coordinated fashion to drive schools of fish, then dive in unison to capture fish. Some species also join mixed-species foraging flocks." University of Washington Animal Diversity Web Listen to the Cormorant The difference between Anhinga's and Cormorants when in the water is shown by this photo. The Cormorant, in the background, swims higher in the water and has a larger looking head. The Anhinga, in the foreground and on the right, swims lower in the water with usually just it's neck and head showing. Because just the Anhinga's long neck shows when swimming is why they call these birds "Snake Birds". Anhinga 34" to 36". A blackish bird with a very long slender neck and long tail. It lives in freshwater ponds and cypress swamps.Its sound is a low grunt similar to the cormorant. It builds a nest in trees and is often in colonies with cormorants. This bird is also known as the Snakebird because its body is submerged when swimming so that only its head and long slender neck are visible. "Unlike some aquatic birds, all of the anhinga's body feathers become completely wet upon contact with the water, allowing it to be able to dive through the water more easily. This feature, however, causes it to have little buoyancy, to lose heat quickly, and hinders flight. The Anhinga preys primarily on fish but its diet can also include aquatic invertebrates and insects. Although not a particularly fast swimmer, it is an effective aquatic hunter, relying on its quick neck and sharp bill to catch prey. It targets slower-moving species of fish and stalks them under water, finally striking out with its long neck and spearing the prey with its beak. It then brings the prey above water and jerks it off its bill, manipulating it in order to swallow the fish head first." University of Washington Animal Diversity Web Female Ahinga's are lighter on their necks. Males are dark. This one is a female. Notice her wide webbed feet. Look how this anhinga can twist her neck. She can almost tie it in a knot it's so flexible! She doesn't have to turn her head to catch a fish under water. All she does is twist and turn her neck. Here are three Anhinga's nesting. You can barely see the third one in the upper right corner of the photo. Why Do Birds Perch With Their Wings Out? Cormorants and Anhingas will perch with their wings held open. This is done for a variety of reasons. Both birds lack the oil glands that birds use to preen themselves. Holding their wings open may cause parasites to move around and this may make the parasites easier to remove. Anhingas have very low metabolic rates and high rates of heat loss. Even if they are dry they will often be seen perching with their wings out and their backs towards the sun on warm, sunny days. Obviously they use the sun to help warm themselves. Cormorants perch with wings out only to dry themselves. Like the Anhinga, Cormorant feathers also retain water but only the outer portion of the feather does. The structure of the feathers gives them a layer of air next to their skin even when they swim under water. They can stay in the water longer than Anhingas. They can also live farther north than Anhingas do. You'll only find Anhingas in tropical and semi-tropical areas. Watch a video of an Anhinga flapping it's wings. (18mg - Takes about a minute to load on a cable connection) How do Anhinga's eat? Anhinga's mainly eat fish but will also eat invertebrates and insects. They are not very buoyant and will swim under water to catch their food. They stalk and chase fish until they are close enough to spear the fish with their beaks. Then they come to the surface, flip the fish into the air to turn it in the right direction and swallow it head first. All photos, including birds and other wildlife photography © by Gilbert Henry Return to the main Bird page.